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Re: new toy!
> The film is "regular" in the classic sense, but it's contained in
> a special cartridge and has a magnetic strip running down one side.
> The magnetic strip is there to record exposure information from the
> camera. New processing machines are required to process the stuff;
> it's likely that your neighborhood one-hour lab doesn't have the
> equipment to handle APS yet.
A few more facts... the film uses a much smaller negative than a standard 35mm
frame, and it records the largest (a pseudo-panoramic format) frame with each
photo, the data strip informs the processor which print format to apply.
Pictures are substantially more grainy than 35mm, and will not enlarge as
well.
Naturally, there are few film choices, and you will need to send film back to
big labs. The processor is not inexpensive (to be polite), so don't expect
your local shop to have one for some time. Film is still relatively hard to
find.
On the positive side, with many APS cameras, film can be stopped in mid roll
and replaced, making it easier to deal with the weather/lighting conditions,
at the cost of carrying another roll of film. In return for the big guy
processing, you get a contact sheet, and the negatives remain in the
cartridge.
As you already noticed, it is an incredible format for small cameras, and they
have barely touched the data portion...sound could follow shortly!
So far, the big labs have been fairly careless (unreadably light printing)
with regard to the back of pictures info (date etc.), so if it really counts,
be sure to record the info seperately.
> I've seen the ELPH...it's a little jewel of a camera.
It is nice, but it is also early in the cycle... and I would add that there is
little experience carrying this cartridge/camera/technology onto the trail, I
look forward to hearing about people's experiences with it.
Daniel
Daniel Berlinger Circumstance Technology
http://www.circumtech.com/ Virtuality Designer
Linkwright Data Poet Systems Anarchist Idiosyncrat
Interactivist Herder of Cats Zero Tolerance For Silence
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